Pre-service and in-service high school mathematics teachers' beliefs and views about using calculators

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to explore Turkish high school pre-service and inservice mathematics teachers’ beliefs and views about using digital technology, particularly calculators, in their mathematics classrooms. The Ministry of National Education (MoNE) has recently put into practice a smart class project (FATİH Project) to equip 42000 schools and 570000 classes across the nation with the state of art information hardware (MoNE, 2012a). In this context, the results and findings of this timely research are of great significance as it aims at exploring Turkish preservice and in-service high school mathematics teachers’, views and beliefs about using digital technology, calculators in particular, during mathematics instruction. The research study was conducted with 60 pre-service and in-service high school mathematics teachers from two different universities and five different high schools in Turkey. A survey was used as a data collection tool in the present study. The survey consisted of 23 Likert type questions, and all the questions were analyzed in three categories. Both the pre-service and in-service participants have responded to the same survey questions within the research study. Pre-service high school mathematics teachers participated to the study by responding online survey questions in April and June 2013. In-service high school mathematics teachers participated to the study by responding the same survey questions by using paper and pencil in November and December 2013. Frequency tables and Mann Whitney U test were used to analyze the descriptive data. The study revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the pre-service and in-service high school mathematics teachers’ responses to survey questions about using calculators, in their classrooms. The findings of the research study were evaluated with a special emphasis on the participants’ technological pedagogical knowledge, experience with technology and calculators, the teacher education programs they have attended and their willingness to use digital technology, specifically calculators, during mathematics instruction. three categories. Both the pre-service and in-service participants have responded to the same survey questions within the research study. Pre-service high school mathematics teachers participated to the study by responding online survey questions in April and June 2013. In-service high school mathematics teachers participated to the study by responding the same survey questions by using paper and pencil in November and December 2013. Frequency tables and Mann Whitney U test were used to analyze the descriptive data. The study revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the pre-service and in-service high school mathematics teachers’ responses to survey questions about using calculators, in their classrooms. The findings of the research study were evaluated with a special emphasis on the participants’ technological pedagogical knowledge, experience with technology and calculators, the teacher education programs they have attended and their willingness to use digital technology, specifically calculators, during mathematics instruction.